STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The $1 surcharge set to be slapped onto purchases of new MetroCards, beginning in January, won't apply to cards purchased from local merchants, MTA officials said yesterday.

The extra-buck charge was proposed earlier this year as part of the authority's fare and toll hike package, lauded as a new source of revenue and a means to lower printing costs, as well as a measure to reduce litter by encouraging riders to refill their cards at MetroCard vending machines instead of simply buying new ones.

But the surcharge announcement raised concerns that Staten Islanders would be unfairly penalized, since there are only three locations in the borough where MetroCard vending machines are located, making it more difficult to get refills. The machines currently can be found at the St. George Ferry Terminal, Tompkinsville Railway station and the Eltingville Transit Center.

But the MTA assured straphangers that "the surcharge will apply only to new MetroCards purchased at vending machines, not those sold at stores or through EasyPayXpress."

"There are 175 convenience stores and other neighborhood merchants on Staten Island where customers can purchase MetroCards without ever paying the surcharge," a spokesman said.

Riders can sign up for an EasyPayXpress MetroCard that works like an E-ZPass, with funds automatically replenished from an account linked to a rider's credit card.

"While initially targeted to express bus customers, this card has been expanded to all bus, subway and Staten Island Railway customers in pay-per-ride or unlimited-ride forms, and it means you never have to visit a machine or store, or worry about your balance again," the spokesman said.

Regardless, City Councilmen Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore) and James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn), along with MTA board member Allen Cappelli, have urged the MTA to install more vending machines at popular transit points.

"We have asked for machines in the past and have been told a litany of excuses why they can't purchase new units for Staten Island, yet somehow they pop up elsewhere," said Ignizio. "In other parts of the city, they have automated fareboxes built right into the sidewalk. Some train stations in other outer boroughs have almost a dozen machines; apparently they are concerned about people waiting too long in line there. All we want is the same availability of MetroCard vending machines at high-volume locations as other boroughs."

The councilmen forwarded a list of several high-volume locations where vending machines would be convenient, based on analysis done by Dr. Jonathan Peters, a professor of finance at the College of Staten Island, and director of the Social Policy Simulation Center at the CUNY High Performance Computing Facility. Among the choice spots are the Staten Island Mall, Huguenot Railway station, CSI and the South Beach park-and-ride.

For more information about EasyPayXPress, or to find a local MetroCard merchant, visit mta.info and click on the MetroCard icon at the bottom of the page.